Kevin Durant Just Got Paid

Hard to imagine another professional athlete as likable as KD. Even the way he uses Twitter is refreshing, especially compared to guys like LeBron and Bosh.

Oh well … I had hoped he would return home to play with John Wall.

Hopefully he’d be okay with the Thunder sending his buddy Jeff Green packing ASAP. He’s dead weight on the floor for that team, and though I love his loyalty to friends, Green’s gotta go if he demands more than he’s worth and a starting spot should the Thunder get a legit PF and C (Ibaka will be one of those, maybe Aldrich can be the other?…doubtful).

Yeah, I was a the front of the ditch Jeff Green movement and his playoff performance did nothing to change my opinion.
 
Overpaying Green would set the franchise back tremendously.

That you were, kudos. I was still a little married to the idea of him (not what he really is) due to his GU fame. The playoffs certainly played in your favor and convinced me to jump on that bandwagon.

They need to drop him, and look for some steals at the 4 and/or 5 spot. Presti is smart and could do it. I like Harden and love Ibaka for the future of that team. One question I have, what’s Westbrook’s ceiling? The past two years it’s become apparent that it’s higher than most originally thought. Rondo seems like a favorable comparison as they are both athletic, long and defend. However neither are close to finished products.

Sigh, I was kinda hoping he’d come to the Bullet-er-Wizards. Back to the PG.

It wasn’t completely about loyalty. Durant now will get paid during a lockout and won’t risk a lower cap or new rules.

KD is a great guy and an exciting talent, but let’s not all just go off the rails now and start idolizing people for choosing to stay in Oklahoma.

Seriously, do you really think it all that charitable to “only” take an $86 MM extension?

Lebron isn’t pursuing a championship. Lebron spends all his offseason energy chasing his dream to become a global icon.

Even Kobe at his peak of immaturity didn’t care about marketing himself. Kobe obsesses over basketball, then basketball and then winning some more basketball.

Durant is basically the same, but without all the mental baggage. He is focused like a laser beam on his craft.

If Lebron chooses New York it will seal the deal. Etch it in stone. He will not win a championship in NY.

Seriously, when Amare Stoudemire gets $100 million, then yes KD was being charitable.

I think he had to do it or make the thunder do a sign and trade if he didn’t want to stay there, right? He had another year on his rookie contract. making them do a sign and trade would kind of been a dick move. and risky given the lockout coming up.

I wish he would have left, if only to give ransom a real reason to be the miserable fuck he is.

@srr50 – apples and oranges, right? An unrestricted free agent this year (Stoudamire) vs. a restricted free agent next year (Durant))?

@ballrific – with the chance of a lock out in a year, he was smart to craft a deal to get his money now.

apples and oranges, right? An unrestricted free agent this year (Stoudamire) vs. a restricted free agent next year (Durant))?

Durant — and the Thunder — were being charitable. Durant takes the offer now, and avoids the potential lockout and new CBA seriously restricting his next contract. He gives Oklahahoma City the break of being able to lock him up now — which helps season ticket sales, and also will help the Thunder survive the bad PR that will come with the lockout.

Joe Johnson just signed for 120 million over 6 years in Atlanta.
 
Joe Fucking Johnson.
 
Yes, Durant is being charitable.

IIRC – the way the CBA/cap are structured, players coming off their rookie deal like Durant who aren’t UFA’s pretty much have to resign with their original team if they want to make maximum bucks – that’s why no real marquee name (other than Shaq under the prior CBA) has jumped ship under the current CBA after their rookie deal.

Durant is still a good guy and all that, I just wouldn’t say he’s being particularly magnanimous in this context when he’s only doing what everybody (LeBron, Wade, etc etc etc) did before him, particularly with a new salary cap coming, making it even more beneficial for him to sign an extension

Sounds like BCers need to brush up on their Salary Cap x’s and o’s. Or not since the NBA eats me.

Resign, yes. Without an opt-out? No.

Here’s a little NBA salary cap/CBA info for everyone…

Durant took the max amount of money that he could.

The charitable actions were…
a. Resigning for a full 5 years. He could have done what Lebron, Wade, and Bosh did, and only resigned for 3 with an option for the 4th, as after 7 total years in the league, he would have been eligible for for a larger percentage of his team’s total cap space, not to mention being able to go to a larger market. This amount of charity on this one is (somewhat, if you’re really trying to be a dick) debatable, as we don’t know the particulars of the impending CBA.
b. Resigning without an opt out clause after the 4th year. No debating this one. Show me another max contract in the NBA without an opt out in the final year. I won’t wait up.

It was both a smart personal and a smart basketball decision. I think showing this kind of commitment to the team is important for getting Westbrook signed to an extension next year (if that is possible) and for getting veteran free agents to sign there in the future when they want to chase championships with KD.

- Good financial decision for both parties (minimal charity on the back-end)
- The key to the story is Durant has his ego in check and just wants to be his best and build a team…he is still going to cut great financial deals for himself (as he should) but he is okay with being below the radar screen….or sleeping on Justin Mason’s floor
- He would have been the perfect San Antonio Spur, maybe in 5 years

………at the age of 26

KD is the epitome of class in the NBA these days, and I really hope he is holding that championship trophy sooner rather than later. Side Note – Does anyone know why the picture in the twitter video is reversed? Would they have filmed it in a mirror for some reason, or just digital effect?

I haven’t been able to stomach Sportscenter in a week because of the incessant coverage of the NBA free agency market/Labronapalooza.

Not to overstate my point, but I think the future of the franchise as anything more than a 50-55 game winner Western Conference Finals circa 1990s Utah Jazz rests on what they do with Jeff Green. If they resign him and pay him like a young star, it will throttle the franchise.
 
They need to focus on retaining Westbrook, Ibaka, Harden and building some of the complementary tools around them.

It’s a point worth restating.

Scip, how much do you think is too much for Green? Given where it looks like the CBA is headed for mid-level players, I think 30 mil/4 years is about right. Anything north of 8mil/year is definitely a mistake, IMO. My problem isn’t Jeff Green, it’s out of position Jeff Green. I think he’d be a solid 6th man.

Charles –
 
I would actually offer 5.5 million per. Actually, I’d rather trade him than pay him at any price above 6.
 
He’d balk and walk and I’d be happy for that to happen given what that would free up for OKC down the road. If he stays, he’s accepting his role as a 6th man.
 
Look at it coldly: he can run the floor well, but he doesn’t rebound, he’s not a great shooter, a mediocre post defender, and most of his offense is created by virtue of sharing the floor with Durant and Westbrook.
 
If Presti could convince the Bulls that Noah and Boozer are both 4s that can’t share the floor, I’d trade Green for Noah straight up in heartbeat.

I’d trade Green for Noah straight up in heartbeat.

No shit?

The Bulls brass would need Chris Wallace level stupidity to make that trade.

The Bulls have Taj Gibson and Carlos Boozer. Lots of 4s.

Whoever’s calling the shots for the Durant camp is a genius.

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